Wilhelm Brockhaus (writer)

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Peter Friedrich Wilhelm Brockhaus (born August 30, 1819 in Himmelmert near Plettenberg , † October 31, 1888 in Duisburg ) was a German writer , composer and evangelist of the Brethren movement .

Life

Wilhelm Brockhaus was the eldest son of the elementary school teacher Friedrich Wilhelm Brockhaus (1793–1878) and the brother of Carl Brockhaus (1822–1899), the founding father of the Brethren movement in Germany.

After finishing school, Brockhaus attended the teacher training college in Soest from 1836 to 1838 . In 1838 he began his first teaching position in Epscheid near Breckerfeld ; from 1842 he taught in Rüggeberg . In 1843 he married Wilhelmine Escher (1809–1877) from Glörfeld near Halver , with whom he had seven children.

Like his brother Carl, Wilhelm Brockhaus also became a member of the “Elberfeld Educational Association” and the “ Evangelical Brothers Association ”. In 1850 he took over the editing of the educational association's journal, Der Kinderbote , from his brother , which he made it the most widely read sheet of this type in West Germany at the time (at times circulation 23,000 copies). At the end of 1852 he left the Evangelical Brothers' Association together with Carl Brockhaus and turned to the Brethren movement , but continued to be active as a writer for the Elberfeld Educational Association. In addition to many shorter contributions for the children's messenger , he wrote at least 15 novel-like stories “for the more mature youth and their friends” under the series title Saat und Harvest , which mostly deal with historical material, preferably from the Reformation period . He also wrote articles for his brother's magazines. He also wrote five song texts and 22 melodies, which found their way into the hymn book of the Brethren Movement, the Small Collection of Sacred Songs (1853ff.).

After Brockhaus had given up his teaching profession in 1854, he moved to Elberfeld in 1866 . In addition to his written work, he was also successful as an evangelist and revival preacher, who often did the preparatory work for his brother Carl's church planting. He died at the age of 69 in his son-in-law's house in Duisburg.

Works

Brockhaus' writings appeared either under the initials “W. B. “or completely anonymously. It is therefore no longer possible to compile a complete list of his publications.

In the 22-volume series Saat und Harvest of the Elberfelder Erziehungsverein the following stories bear the initials “W. B. "(usually several editions without dates):

  • Volume 1: The Klausner or the stolen daughter. Story from the time of the Thirty Years War [1862]
  • Volume 2: Father Tim or the Huguenots and their struggles. A historical painting for the more mature youth and their friends from the sixteenth century [1862]
  • Volume 3: Antoine Perrier or the uprising in the Cevennes . A historical painting for the more mature youth and their friends from the eighteenth century [1868]
  • Volume 4: Sam or the dawn of the Netherlands. A historical painting for the mature youth and their friends from the sixteenth century [1868]
  • Volume 5: Corporal Tom or the letter placed underneath. A historical painting for the mature youth and their friends from the Scottish Reformation period [1869]
  • Volume 6: The Burgvogt or fiery coals. A story from the times of the German Peasant War for the more mature youth and their friends
  • Volume 7: Marion or the Angrona Pass. A historical painting for the more mature youth and their friends from the history of the Waldensians [1873]
  • Volume 8: The Lion from Judah. A story for the more mature youth and their friends (freely based on the English) [1873]
  • Volume 9: The two heroes or the old man from Rheingrafenstein . A sheet from the history of the Reformation for the more mature youth and their friends [1878]
  • Volume 10: Old Ben or the Patched Coat. A historical painting from the Reformation period for the more mature youth and their friends [1878]
  • Volume 11: The unwilling hussar . A story for the more mature youth and their friends from the time of the Seven Years' War [1878]
  • Volume 12: The Son of the Alps. A story from the religious struggles in Switzerland for the more mature youth [1878]
  • Volume 13: White and Black. A story from the days of the liberation of slaves in Jamaica [1878]
  • Volume 14: Troubled Times. A story from the revolutionary year 1848 for the more mature youth and their friends [1879]
  • Volume 15: Own Paths. A story based on historical facts [1884]

Volumes 16, 21 and 22 of Saat und Harvest bear the names of other authors; Volumes 17-20 were published anonymously, so they could possibly come from Brockhaus:

  • Volume 17: The heiress of Fritzburg. A story from the time of the Reformation
  • Volume 18: Overcome. A story from the 1st century
  • Volume 19: From night to light. A story from the 4th century
  • Volume 20: The Knights of Adlerstein. A story from the 15th century

Outside of the Saat und Harvest series , the following stories by W [ilhelm] B [rockhaus] have been published by R. Brockhaus Verlag , Elberfeld (no year):

  • The fight for a crown. Historical tale from Scotland's Reformation period. Loosely based on the Dutch (P. J. Kloppers)
  • Above the stars. Historical story from the time of the Thirty Years' War. Loosely based on the Dutch
  • Giulietta, the flower girl of Naples - The captain's daughter (two stories in one volume)

A dogmatic writing by Wilhelm Brockhaus is also known:

  • The testimony of the Holy Scriptures on eternal damnation in contrast to the so-called doctrine of restoration [1867]

reception

Gustav Ischebeck, an author of the Free Evangelical Congregations, wrote in 1919 that Wilhelm Brockhaus

“Brought really good entertainment literature for many thousands of families in West Germany and beyond. Because his mild darbysm was nowhere to be seen, while full salvation was always offered in Christ , many families are grateful to him beyond his grave. Because even now in some places people like to fall back on his vintages of the Kinderbote and Saat und Harvest. "

- Gustav Ischebeck : Sheets from bygone days (15th continuation) , p. 73.

The free church historian Walther Hermes judged Brockhaus' narrative qualities in 1933:

“Of course, it is a little wide in places, the images of the characters involved appear a little abruptly and here and there are also somewhat remote from life. But that goes back in part to the custom and time wishes. It never leads to unfaithfulness and untruthfulness and is amply outweighed by the truthfulness of his descriptions, which are very reminiscent of Christoph von Schmidt . In the description of the historical time and the connection of the thread of the representation with it, he is downright a master who sometimes reminds of Scott and Dahn , even if he does not have the creative power of these greats. On the basis of Christian storytelling, few have reached him to this day. The area in which he is best at home is the history of the Reformation , and that of all countries [...]. He is also happy to take you to the soil of his homeland in the Sauerland , namely into the mountains and forests of Plettenberg and its surroundings. His maritime and seafaring stories let him be somewhat related to WO von Horn , from whom he again differs that Christianity as a custom and habit is alien to him and he always works towards a clear decision in favor of Jesus, the childhood friend, with young readers but without saying that on every page. In general, he is one of the few writers for young people who leaves the means of ecclesiastical and transmitted emotional influence with confirmation and the Lord's Supper unused. "

- Walther Hermes : Hermann Heinrich Grafe and his time , p. 127f.

literature

  • Gustav Ischebeck: Sheets from bygone days (15th continuation) . In: Der Gärtner 27 (1919), pp. 73f.
  • Walther Hermes: Hermann Heinrich Grafe and his time. A picture of life and time from the beginnings of the West German community movement. Bundes-Verlag, Witten 1933, p. 127f.
  • Arend Remmers : Remember your leaders. Life pictures of some faithful men of God. Christian Written Distribution, Hückeswagen ²1990, pp. 34–38.
  • Rolf-Edgar Gerlach: Carl Brockhaus - a life for God and the brothers. R. Brockhaus, Wuppertal / Zurich 1994, pp. 157–159.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Years of publication according to Aiga Klotz, Children's and Young People's Literature in Germany 1840–1950. Complete list of publications in German , Volume I (A – F), Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1990, pp. 73f., 213f.
  2. ↑ 1st edition under the pseudonym “W. von Oesterau ”, 2nd edition [1897] under the initials“ W. B. "
  3. ↑ Volume 16: Immanuel Weitbrecht; Volumes 21 and 22: G. Holtey-Weber.
  4. ↑ On the other hand, however, the lack of the Brockhaus typical subtitle "for the more mature youth and their friends" speaks.
personal data
SURNAME Brockhaus, Wilhelm
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Brockhaus, Peter Friedrich Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German writer, composer and evangelist of the Brethren movement
DATE OF BIRTH August 30, 1819
PLACE OF BIRTH Himmelmert near Plettenberg
DATE OF DEATH October 31, 1888
Place of death Duisburg